Bangladeshfinished fourth at the Asian Games after losing the bronze-medal playoff to Sri Lanka by 63 runs on October 3, 2026, at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
Sri Lanka scored 165 for 9 in their innings, while Bangladesh managed only 102 all out in 17.3 overs. The defeat came after Bangladesh had also lost their semifinal to Pakistan, ending their campaign with the goal of reclaiming the gold medal they won in 2010 unfulfilled.
Coach Mohammad Salahuddin expressed his disappointment following the loss, speaking to The Daily Star about the team's performance. The coach took responsibility for the failure and issued an apology to the nation for not meeting expectations.
"To be honest, we are deeply ashamed. As a coach, I feel that we have failed, and we have not been able to deliver what was expected of us. It is very disappointing, and I want to apologise to the entire nation," Salahuddin said as quoted by The Daily Star.
it was possible to chase on this wicket: Salahuddin
Salahuddin reflected on the team's overall performance and the goals they had set for the tournament. He acknowledged that every player had come with the intention to win but the execution fell short of expectations.
"Everyone came here to win. We came with a goal, and we have failed to achieve it. We did not play well. We hope that they will play better in the future," Salahuddin said.
The coach assessed whether the target of 166 was achievable on the pitch at Nisshin. Despite the challenging conditions, Salahuddin believed the score was within reach for his team.
"Yes, of course it is possible. I think it was possible on this wicket," Salahuddin said.
Bangladesh's inability to execute their game plan proved costly during the match. The coach pointed to specific areas where the team's strategy broke down, particularly in the bowling department and the batting powerplay.
"Our premium bowlers could not bowl in the areas we had expected them to bowl in. But the spinners bowled very well," Salahuddin said.
We were in too much of a hurry: Salahuddin
The batting collapse in the powerplay set the tone for Bangladesh's innings. Losing five or six wickets early made recovery extremely difficult, a problem compounded by the team's lack of all-rounders who could stabilise the middle order.
"In batting as well, I think we were in too much of a hurry. When you lose five or six wickets in the powerplay, it becomes very difficult to get back into the match from there. Because unlike other teams, we don’t really have that many all-rounders," Salahuddin said.
Despite Mustafizur Rahman's poor performance in the match, where he conceded 25 runs in his first over including seven wides and two no-balls, Salahuddin indicated the team would continue to back the death-overs specialist.
"Fizz (Mustafiz) has always been our death-overs specialist. We still have faith in him. Even if he fails again, we may still continue to back him in the same way," Salahuddin said.
The coach concluded by reiterating the team's collective failure and the need to address systemic issues. Salahuddin emphasised that the loss was not attributable to individual players but reflected broader shortcomings in the team's overall performance at the Asian Games.
"We are certainly ashamed that they have failed, and we will try to work out how we can overcome this. But, to be honest, we did not perform well as a total team." Salahuddin said.
